Haikyuu doing what it does is certainly not a bad thing.  It’s made this series the most poplar sports manga currently running and fueled three highly successful (both commercially and artistically) anime seasons.  I guess I was really drawn into the first several episodes of this season, though, because they were so different.  And it’s really unusual that we ever get to say that about Haikyuu.

As a result the last couple of eps haven’t been super exciting for me, because they’ve been more like settling into a familiar and comfortable routine.  We’re seeing character growth here but it’s subtle (apart from Shouyou, arguably).  I mean, Tobio being an asshole is nothing new – it’s kind of the foundation of his entire character arc.  Confronting whether his being an asshole is a problem for the Crows this directly is a bit of an evolution, and probably an overdue one at that, but the overall dynamic with Kageyama is basically unchanged.

Indeed, Date Tech may be the most interesting part of this mini-arc for me.  I came to the conclusion the episode presented long before it did – look out for this team in the years to come.  If they can be this good relying entirely on first and second-year talent, they’ll be truly formidable when those players have matured.  Karasuno is a young team too, with only two (as much as it guts me to admit it) third-years truly integral to their success  But their absence after graduation will leave holes to fill, off the court as much as on it.

While the whole Tobio-Nishinoya showdown cliffhanger was a fake-out, it did set the tone for what was happening with Karasuno.  It’s the same old story with Tobio – he operates on a higher level than everyone else (though not quite as much as be believes) and has to cope with their weaknesses.  In Japan the idea of a first-year speaking to a senior the way Kageyama did to Asahi is a lot more shocking than it would be in the West, but Tobio calling out teammates in genuinely rude fashion in the middle of a match is what got him isolated in the first place.  It’s better for the Crows to sort this out in practice matches than the real deal, but this is really on Tobio – he has to figure out how to co-exist with others in a team environment.

It strikes me that in this sense, Hinata is every bit as crucial to Kageyama as vice-versa.  Shouyou is the only one who doesn’t give a flip – Tanaka will speak back to Tobio but it’s clear the abuse gets under his skin, and the same is true with Tsukki.  It just makes Shouyou more determined – and he dishes as good as he receives.  If there’s anyone on this team that can keep Kageyama in-line it’s Hinata, and that’s not insignificant.  Pair that with the fact that Shouyou has grown tremendously in his understanding of the game (as Suga has noticed) and all of a sudden the Little Giant looks a lot more integral to the Crows’ flight.  If this season has a major success thus far, that would be it.